Ask from a user who wants to remain anonymous:
Can you make this anon?
Lately I've been reading a bunch of romance and it's always with alpha males. I'd really love to read more romance like The Rakess with an alpha heroine where the woman is the dominant personality and the man is not. BDSM is fine so long as it is actually romance and not just erotica. I want to see women in heterosexual relationships being awesome and dominant and the dude totally being okay with it. (Like Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff.)
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Please help! It feels like romance tends to forget that het/bi/pan women with alpha personalities need love too.
Alpha females are definitely not the norm in most romance, you’re quite correct. We’re glad you already discovered The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham; that author has written a couple of submissive males in her BDSM historicals. Also weirdly enough, some old school historical romance totally gets into this trope - probably because Elizabeth Bennet/Mr. Darcy is the original Alpha Heroine/Beta Hero (unless you count the Taming of the Shrew which depending on the production and interpretation is viable.) And as you likely already know, OP, having an alpha personality doesn’t mean that the woman has to be unfeminine. It just means that in the relationship the woman is the dominant partner.
We’ve scoured around and found a few more you might enjoy!
Historical
The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan - M/F, Victorian Romance, Asian Romance (heroine is Chinese, hero is half-Chinese), alpha female, Open Door
Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt - M/F, Regency Romance, Open Door, heroine is a masked vigilante
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - M/F - Regency Romance, No Sex, Heroine is Gentry. Classic Romance.
Desire in Disguise by Rebecca Brandywine - M/F - French Revolution, Open door, heroine is a pirate, Old School Romance.
Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small - M/F - Elizabethan England, Open Door, Interracial Romance, Old School Romance, CW: Rape, Domestic Abuse, and Sexual Slavery. Book 1 of a two book series. Heroine is Irish and head of her Clan and Captain of a fleet of ships.
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole - M/F - Civil War America, Open Door, Interracial Romance, CW: Slavery, Rape, Racism (all the racism). Heroine is a Spy
A Duke Will Never Do by Darcy Burke - M/F - Regency Romance, Open Door, CW: Alcohol Abuse, Withdrawal, Sexual Assault. Heroine is a Spinster.
An Eye for an Earl by Jean Wilde - M/F - Regency Romance, Open Door, CW: Rape, Sexual Assault, Heroine is a Courtesan.
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Fantasy
Tinker by Wen Spencer - M/F, Fantasy Romance, Mechanic Heroine, Elf Hero, Near-Future, Unknown Heat Level - book 1 of 4, HFN in Book 1.
The Stormbringer by Isabel Cooper - M/F. Fantasy Romance, Warrior Heroine, Epic Fantasy, Open Door. Book 1 of 3, each featuring a different couple, heroines are all warriors.
The Edge of the Woods by Jules Kelley - M/F Bisexual (MFC referenced having past relationships with women), Shifter Romance. Open Door - heroine is alpha wolf of her pack, hero is not a shifter
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs - M/F, Shifter Romance, Urban Fantasy Romance, Native American heroine, Interracial romance, Love Triangle, Open Door - book 1 of 13 (and counting) in the Mercy Thompson series
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse - M/F, Post Apocalyptic Romance, Urban Fantasy (Magic User), Native American Heroine, book 1 of 2 and likely more.
Alpha Night by Nalini Singh - M/F - Urban Fantasy (Shifter, Psychic), Book 19 of a 20 book and counting series, Heroine is the Alpha of her Pack.
Men Are Frogs by Saranna DeWylde - M/F - Contemporary Fantasy - Fairy Tale Retelling, Interracial Romance, Heroine is a Wedding Planner, Book 2 of a 3 book and counting series.
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Science Fiction
Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair - M/F, SciFi Romance, Smuggler Heroine, Open Door - you cannot go wrong with Linnea Sinclair. Her entire catalogue fits your ask. Try Gabriel’s Ghost or Games of Command or An Accidental Goddess, too.
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre - M/F, SciFi Romance, Pilot Heroine, Closed Door - book 1/6 in the Sirantha Jax series. Each book has an HFN and book 6 Jax and March get their HEA.
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YA Romance
You’ll actually find quite a lot of kickass heroines (and the heroes who adore them) in the YA genre. From Katniss in The Hunger Games to Celaena in Throne of Glass and Jaenelle in the Black Jewels trilogy. However, these are not always romance, in that they don’t always fulfill the promise of the HEA or even HFN (Jaenelle doesn’t get either, in particular). It’s very common for the HEA not to come until the end of the series, so bear that in mind when looking at the recommendations below (and any other YA series).
Graceling by Kristin Cashore - M/F. YA Fantasy Romance, Unknown Heat Level, Assassin Heroine - book 1 in a series of 4.
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers - M/F, YA Fantasy Romance, Open Door, Assassin Heroine - book 1 of a trilogy.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer - M/F, YA Science Fiction Romance, Open Door, Cyborg Heroine. Book 1 of a series of 4; each featuring a different strong heroine.
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena - M/F, YA Fantasy Romance, No Sex, Magic User Heroine, Book 1 in a Duology.
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Contemporary Romance
Vanessa’s Winter Romance by Christina Rose Andrews - M/F - Open Door - Interracial Romance, Law School Heroine, Black Heroine, Hispanic Hero, Beta Hero. (Bood 2 of a 3 book series)
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert - M/F - Open Door, Interracial romance, College Professor Heroine, Black Heroine, Muslim Hero, Bisexual Heroine, Beta Hero (Book 2 of a 3 book series)
Dirty Sweet Wild by Julie Kriss - M/F - Open Door, Disabled Hero (Amputee and PTSD), Sex Worker Heroine, Veteran Romance, Billionaire Romance (Book 2 of a 4 book series)
Tramps Like Us/Kimi wa Pet/You’re My Pet by Yayoi Ogawa - M/F - Open Door - MANGA Series, CW: Homelessness, Love Triangle. Heroine is a successful Business woman.
*These suggestions are not endorsements. Please read the description and the reviews to decide whether you want to read the books!
